Creating Resilient Communities
Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) supports our community’s ability to be resilient in the face of climate change.
Community Grant Program
The SVCE Community Grant Program is investing more than $5 million to help our region reduce the impacts of power outages from events such as earthquakes, PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs, storms, floods, and wildfires while supporting decarbonization and local job creation. The program provides SVCE’s 13 member agencies with grant funds to identify, prioritize, and implement resilient energy strategies.
Campbell Service Yard and Police Department
EV Trucks and Off-Grid EV Chargers* — $197,000 grant for two EV trucks and off-grid EV chargers.
Campbell Library
All-electric renovation* — $500,000 grant to upgrade electrical panels and wiring replace gas HVAC system with heat pumps.
Off-Grid EV Chargers
$230,000 grant for 2 EVArc chargers rotated throughout city facilities and parks.
Virtual Reality Game
$110,000 grant for the development of Cooper’s Clean Air Quest, a virtual reality simulation game where players replace polluting appliances and reduce greenhouse gases.
Gilroy Corporation Yard
EV Truck and Off-Grid EV Chargers* — $269,000 grant for an EV truck and two off-grid EV chargers.
Downtown Los Altos
Cool Pavements — $126,000 grant for cool pavements that reduce the land surface temperature by reflecting heat instead of absorbing it.
Los Altos Town Hall
Battery Storage & Interactive Kiosk — $120,000 grant for a battery energy storage system connected to a preexisting solar array and an interactive kiosk.
Los Gatos Library
Battery Storage — $213,000 grant for a battery energy storage system connected to a preexisting solar array.
Barbara Lee Senior Center
Solar & Battery Storage — $700,000 grant to install a solar array and battery energy storage system that can sustain power to the senior center in event of a power outage.
Butterfield Fire Station
Solar & Battery Storage — $500,000 grant to fully electrify the station with induction stoves, and heat pumps, solar panels, and a battery storage system that can sustain 30-36 hours of operation in the event of a power outage.
Centennial Recreation Center
Battery Storage — $209,000 grant for a battery energy storage system connected to a preexisting solar array.
Mountain View Senior Center
Heat Pump Water Heater & Electric Kitchen Upgrades — $497,000 grant to replace gas water heaters with a heat pump water heater (HPWH) and upgrade the kitchen with induction technologies.
Rengstorff Community Center
Battery Storage System — $614,000 grant to install a battery energy storage system (BESS) to integrate with a pre-existing solar photovoltaic system, creating a microgrid that can store excess renewable energy.
Battery Backup at Traffic Light Signals
$139,000 grant to install backup battery systems at 14 traffic light intersections.
Sunnyvale City Hall
Solar & Battery Storage — $1M grant to install solar panels and a battery energy storage system capable of powering 103 homes for a year.
Public Library, Community Center, Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Corporation Yard
Off-Grid EV Chargers — $300,000 grant to install four mobile off-grid electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
Masten Fire Station
Solar & Battery Storage — $100,000 grant to install rooftop solar panels and two solar batteries capable of powering the station for 8-10 hours in the event of a power disruption.
Featured Projects
Los Altos Hills
Battery Storage and Interactive Kiosk — The Town of Los Altos Hills used its $120,000 grant from SVCE to install a battery system and interactive kiosk at the Los Altos Hills Town Hall. The new battery system connects to a preexisting solar array and allows the Town to capture excess renewable energy and draw on that stored energy in the event of a power outage. In the event of a disruption, the 310 kWh battery can sustain power to the Town Hall for 12 hours. The interactive outdoor kiosk enables residents to learn more about how Los Altos Hills is reducing local emissions, improving air quality and maintaining uninterrupted power with the solar and battery system.
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“It’s great to see Los Altos Hills build upon their solar array and increase not only community resiliency, but also demonstrate fiscal responsibility,” said Los Altos Hills Councilmember and SVCE Board Vice Chair George Tyson. “The Town will save on energy costs during normal operations by recharging during off-peak hours when energy is cheaper, and offloading power back to the grid when energy is more expensive at peak demand.”
Sunnyvale
Solar & Battery Storage — The City of Sunnyvale used the $1M grant from SVCE to install solar and battery storage at their City Hall. The newly-constructed building is the first LEED Platinum certified and Net Zero Energy city hall in the country and has 1,653 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels that generate 1,099,000 kWh of power annually – enough to power about 103 homes for a year. The PV panels are paired with a 350 kWh battery energy storage system, adding energy resilience to the building. The solar system will produce power during the day, and in the event of an outage, the clean electricity stored in the batteries will be used to power critical building operations.
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“Sunnyvale’s new City Hall is an icon for sustainability and a true symbol for our city as the Heart of Silicon Valley. Our council and community set a bold vision to serve, engage and inspire with this building, and we’ve achieved it in a spectacular way,” said Larry Klein in 2023, Mayor of Sunnyvale.
Morgan Hill
All-Electric Fire Station — The City of Morgan Hill used its $500,000 grant for electric technologies that make the Butterfield Fire Station an all-electric hub of safety and resiliency. With 92, 445-watt solar panels and a battery system providing 176 kilowatt-hours of energy storage, the station can sustain 30-36 hours of operations off of backup power. Inside, the station features zero-emission equipment like commercial induction stoves and heat pumps, ensuring that the first responders utilizing the station have clean air inside and out.
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At the community ribbon cutting on June 7, 2025, Fire Chief Marcus Hernandez said, “From 2023 to 2024 we’ve had a 6% increase in call volume, this station is going to be vital in increasing our capacity to serve this city and keep providing that top tier service.” SVCE Monica Padilla added, “We look forward to how this station will not only improve the City’s ability to respond to emergencies but also transform resiliency in the face of them.”
Resilience Framework
To guide the Community Resilience Program and other resilience projects, SVCE developed the Community Energy Resilience Framework. The Framework is designed to help SVCE communities prioritize resilience project implementation and reduce the impacts of grid disruptions. It articulates a shared vision for community energy resilience: the ability of a community to prepare for, adapt to, withstand and recover from power disruptions due to anticipated hazards.
